Rotary steam-engine.



R. I. MILLER. ROTARY STEAM ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 9, 1910 iwentz Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

R. I. MILLER.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 9. 1910.

986,932,, Patented Mar.14,19111 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2. O I (715. I

F- rt m O W F A M O r W H M "J H 1 QJJ/ H THE nan-m: PETERS cm, munmarou, n. c

R. I. MILLER.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE. APPLICATION rum) JULY 9, 1911;.

986,932. 1 Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

'3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

TTNTTED STATES PATENT @FFTCE ROBERT I. MILLER, 01? SANDUSKY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF SIXTEEN AND ONE-THIRD ONE- I-IUNDREDTHS TO WILLIAM F. THOMAS AND SIXTEEN AND ONE-THIRD ONE- I-IUNDREDTHS TO WILLIAM J. DUFFY, BOTH OF IVICIVEEGI'IEN, VJEST VIRGINIA, AND SIXTEEN AND ONE-THIRD ONE-HUNDREDTI-IS TO MARTIN J. MALOOLEY, OF

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA.

ROTARY STEAM-ENGINE.

assess.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT I. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sandusky, in the county of Erie and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rotary Steam-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improvement in rotary steam engines particularly of the impact type, wherein the utilization of the steam power is secured by jetting the steam against suitably formed impact faces.

The main object of the present invention is the provision of an impact rotary engine in which the direction of the motive power may be readily controlled and in which the various parts of the engine are so constructed as to provide for the ready control of the direction of rotation.

rniother object of the invention is the provision of a rotary impact engine e1n bodying essentially a cylinder, heads closing the ends of the cylinder and a piston mounted for rotation in the cylinder, the heads being formed to provide the steam channels and chambers so arranged as to permit the casting of the head, thereby 1naterially simplifying the construction and cost of production of the engine.

The invention will be described in the following specification, reference being had particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which w Figure l is a front elevation of an engine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar View with the near cylinder head removed. .Fig. 3 is a Vertical central section of the engine. Fig. i is a horizontal section of the same. Fig. 5 is a Vertical section taken at right angles to the line of section of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an inner face view of one of the cylinder heads.

Referring particularly to the accompanying drawings, my improved engine comprises a cylinder 1 including a cylindrical wall 2, open at the ends, and closed by cylinder heads 3 of duplicate construction. The end edges of the wall 2 are each provided with laterally extending annular flanges 4, which serve as a bearing for the cylinder heads, as will presently appear. The end edges of the cylinder wall at the juncture with the flanges at are each recessed or cutaway at 5 to provide annular guideways for the reception of the piston disks to be later described.

At a particular portion of the cylindrical wall, namely the relatively lower portion, said wall is outwardly thickened or enlarged, as at (5, in which enlargement there is formed a bore 7, hereinafter termed the inlet, opening through the enlargement and terminally formed for the connection thereto of a steam or other motive fluid supply pipe 8. lrojecting in opposite directions from the upper end of and in communication with the bore 7 are channels 9 and 10, each of which channels open through the proximate end of the enlargement 6 and are projected from the bore 7 in a direction approximately tangential of the cylindrical wall. The respective channels are interiorly threaded for the reception of valve members 11 and 12, which members, for the purposes of this invention, may, as shown, he in the form of simple screw bolts with milled heads for convenient operation. The steam supply ports open from the respective channels 9 and 10, and project frm said channels in a direction at approximately right angles to the general direction of the channel. The supply port opening from the channel 9, as 13, will, therefore, extend through the enlargement at right angles to the direction of the channel 9, while the supply port from the channel 10, as 14-, extends at right angles to the channel 10. 'll1erefore, the supply ports open through opposing sides of the enlargement 6, and the steam may he obviously directed through either of said supply ports at will.

As has been previously stated the cylinder wall 2 is closed at the respective ends by heads 3 of duplicate construction. These heads are, of course, circular in plan and have a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the annular flanges 4t. Each head comprises an edge flange 15 of materially less radial dimensions than that of the flange 4, the peripheral edges of the flanges i and 15 being designed to be alincd when the head is secured in place. Inwardly beyond the flange 15 the head is annularly offset to form an annular pressure chamber-16, which chamber is divided at diametrically opposite upper and lower parts to provide distinct channels 17 and 18. inwardly beyond the pressure chamber the offset is formed to provide an annular exhaust chamber 19, and the central portion of the cylinder head is in the form of a disk 20. The central disk of the head is disposed in a plane outwardly beyond the plane of the flange 15, while the pressure chamber 16 is so disposed in the head that when the head is secured in place said chamber, which opens through the inner side of the head will be closed by the flange l of the cylinder wall. The annular wall 21 between the pressure and exhaust chambers 16 and 19 is of such thickness that with the head in place the relatively inner surface of the wall alines exactly with the outer wall of the recess 5, for a purpose which will presently appear. The relatively lower portion of the head is enlarged and offset to form a base 22, in which base there is formed a channel 23 in communication with the exhaust chamber 19, providing for the exhaust from said chamber.

The piston comprises duplicate disks 24: having a diameter corresponding to the di ameter of the outer wall of the recess 5, said disks at their peripheral edges being of a thickness to fit snugly within the recess. The relatively outer surfaces of the disks are plane, while the inner surfaces are inwardly inclined toward the central portion of the disk to provide desired strength. The disks are fixed upon a shaft 25, being so spaced thereon that the respective disks will snugly fit in the respective recesses 5 of the cylinder wall without undue frictional contact, the shaft beyond the disks being, of course, mounted in bearings 26 in the cylinder heads. The peripheral edge of each disk on the outer surface thereof is formed with a series of radially disposed impact faces 27, preferably of the form shown in Fig. 2. The impact faces, as more particularly .notedfrom Fig. 5, are of slightly greater radial dimensions than the depth of the recess 5. The wall 21 of the respective channels 1'? and 18 of the pressure chamber is formed with a series of jet openings 28, which openings incline from their communication with the pressure chamber toward the adjacent piston disk, and also incline from the radial in accordance with the desired direction of rotation, that is the inlet ends of the openings in communication with the channel 1'? are arranged so that motive power delivered therethrough will engage the impact faces 27 of the piston disk to operate the piston in one direction, while the inlet ends of the openings in communication with the channel 18 are reversely arranged and will drive the piston disks in-the opposite direction.

The engine parts are connected by fixing the piston. disks within the cylinder in the manner described and then securing the heads 3 in place, preferably by a series of bolts passed through the flanges 4 and 15 of the cylinder and head. Packing, as 29, may be introduced between the flanges, said packing having a radial dimension corresponding to the similar dimension of the flange 4, so that with the heads in place the packing will overlie and act to close the pressure chamber 16. It is, of course, understood that the port 14 from the inlet channel leads to one of the pressure chambers, as 17, while the port 13 leads to the other of said chambers, as 18, the duplication of said chambers at opposing ends of the cylinder, of course, necessitating the projection of the ports 13 and 14; in both directions so as to lead the steam to both sides of the piston. By means of the valves 11 and 12 the steam, therefore, may be directed into eitherof the pressure chambers 17 or 18, and having reached one of said chambers, as 17, will be discharged through the outlets 28 and onto the impact faces of the adjacent piston disks to rotate the piston. The steam after use will exhaust through the port 23.

The various parts of the engine may be constructed of any desired material and in any desired sizes.

The important features of the present in.- vention are that the piston requires no packing within the cylinder and the ease with which the par-ts of the engine may be readily I disconnected for renewal or repair.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is

1. A rotary engine including a cylinder, pistons closing the ends of the cylinder, and heads connected with the cylinder and overlying the pistons, said heads being formed with a pressure chamber and an exhaust space, and means for directing the steam from the pressure chamber onto the piston.

2. A rotary engine including a cylinder, a piston therein, a head closing the end of the cylinder and formed to provide a pressure chamber and an exhaust space, said pressure chamber being divided to provide distinct steam chambers, an inlet, and valved ports leading from the inlet to the respective chambers.

3. A rotary engine including a cylinder, a piston therein formed with a series of impact faces, a head closing the end of the cylinder and formed to provide a pressure chamber and an exhaust space, said pressure chamber being divided to provide distinct steam chambers, an inlet, and. valved ports leading from the inlet to the respective chambers.

4. A. rotary engine including a cylinder formed with edge recesses, a piston operatmg in each of said recesses formed with a series of impact faces, and heads formed with pressure and exhaust passages, said heads being adapted to be removably secured to the cylinder and overlie the piston.

5. A rotary engine including a cylinder formed with edge recesses, a piston operating in each of said recesses formed with a series of impact faces, and heads formed with pressure and exhaust passages, said heads being adapted to be removably secured to the cylinder and overlie the piston, the pressure space in each head being; divided to form independent chambers.

6. A rotary engine including a cylinder formed with edge recesses, a iston operating in each of said recesses ormedwith a series of impact faces, heads formed with pressure and exhaust passages, said heads being adapted to be removably secured to the cylinder and overlie the piston, the pressure space in each head being divided to form independent chambers, andinclined ports leading from said chambers to a point adjacent the impact buckets of the piston.

7. A rotary engine comprising a cylinder including a cylindrical wall having radially outwardly projecting ed e flanges, heads designed to be removab y secured to the flanges formed to provide pressure spaces and exhaust spaces, the pressure spaces being closed by the flanges of the cylindrical wall, and pistons arranged within the cylinder.

8. A rotary en ine comprising a cylinder including a cylindrical wall havin radially outwardly projecting edge flanges, ieads designed to be removably secured to the flanges formed to provide pressure spaces and exhaust spaces, the pressure spaces being closed by the flanges of the cylindrical wall, pistons arranged within the cylinder, and means for directing the motive fluid from the pressure spaces to the pistons in a direction at an angle to the operative plane of the piston.

9. A rotary engine comprising a cylinder including a cylindrical wall havln radially outwardly projecting edge flangesfiieads designed to be removably secured to the flanges formed to provide pressure spaces and exhaust spaces, the pressure spaces being closed by the flanges of the cylindrical wall, and pistons arranged within the cylinder, the pressure and exhaust spaces being divided by a wall formed with a series of ports inclined in each of two directions relative to the vertical plane of the engine, the outlet end of said ports terminating adjacent the end of the piston.

10. A rotary engine including a cylindrical wall having an offset formed with inlet ports arranged in pairs, a valve for each pair of inlet ports, pistons closing the ends of the cylindrical wall, and heads secured to the wall to overlie the piston, each of said heads being divided to provide pressure spaces and exhaust spaces, each pres sure space being divided at diametrically opposed points to provide independentpres sure chambers, each valve controlled pair of ports leading to relatively similar chambers in the respective heads.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT I. MILLER.

Witnesses:

AL. C. LERMANN, LEOLA E. DAUcrr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

